Happy Hollywood Hiking: Trail from the Griffith Observatory

Nothing beats a trail with one of your good friends. Brisk walk uphill after a picnic is the perfect way to end your day. Not to mention, the wonderful Griffith Observatory! (Rebel Without a Cause anyone?)

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Love you LA!

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Loving Marilyn Monroe: Visit at Westwood Memorial Park

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I can say  that I have finally gone to visit Marilyn. I’ve been a huge fan of her’s since I was probably about 7. Living in Los Angeles for 16 years I have neglected ever visitng her resting place, and now that I came back for a visit I finally took the opportunity to see her.

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Westwood Memorial is a small place surrounded by coorperate buildings. A small place where you can see the past meets the future. We even got a little lost trying to find Westwood Memorial, but when we did it was the most peaceful, serene area of LA I have been to. Marilyn is surrounded by many of Hollywood’s greatest such as her friends Dean Martin, writer Billy Wyilder (The 7 Year Itch and Some Like It Hot), her co-star Jack Lemmon (Some Like It Hot), Peggy Lee and Natalie Wood amongst others.

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Her headstone is simple, baring just her name and the short 36 years of her life. The stones have changed color from the millions of visitors from the past years of leaving a trademark kiss.

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I got to even meet Rachel Bailit, an actress who was filming for her channel “Diary of an Actress”. An amazing place to meet new people!

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It was surreal to be there and I am so happy I took the chance to visit.

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Surviving the Long-Haul Flight: Manila to Los Angeles and All the Way Around

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Travelling is fun. Travelling is hell. At least getting there is. Early check-in, airport security, waiting, waiting and waiting. Arriving to the destination can be gruesome if you don’t have the pleasure of sitting in a seat with 15 feet of leg room, bottle service of champagne and goosefeathered pillows.

Here are my essentials on suriving sitting in a steel bird soaring across the Pacific Ocean for 14 hours.

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COMFY CLOTHES. 

Not the most stylish, but definietly the most comfortable. Leggings, an oversized shirt, a light layer (mines a knit) and easy slip-off flats which are important when going through airport security. No accessories please. Just a hat to hide the terrible airplane hair upon landing.

Carry On Light

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Please do yourself a favor and buy a neck pillow and invest in a good eyemask. These two things let me sleep a good 8 hours on a pressurized cabin. This eyemask is from Beauty Bar and helps with your R.E.M. cycle. I love it so much! It just blocks out all the light and the soft foam matrial gives me the comfort of sleep. I keep my small essentials in a pounch rather than keeping my entire purse with me under the seat. This leaves me extra leg room!

What’s In the Pouch?

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The items that are in easy reach are my pillbox, Advil, lip balm, a toothbrush, nasal spray, facial wash and deodorant. Everything to keep me nausua-free, moisturized, fresh and clean! I also bring a few basic makeup products such as an eyebrow pencil, lipstick and mascara, along with a good good facial moisturizure. It’s so important to keep skin hydrated on the plane. I also drink lots and lots of water.

Entertianment

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I love reading. But, reading on a plane can be difficult with the turbulance, bright lights and cramped space, it’s not neccessarily a “curl up and read cozy” opportunity. Bringing along reading material is imortant, but I like to choose a book that is light and easy to read. Sure, you can go through the Game of Thrones series or a Jane Austen novel, but for me I try to steer from neccessary literary comprehension notes and small fonted books to avoid motion sickness and tired eyes.

Even though flying can be uncomfortable and leave your restless, I always look forward to the destination and daydream of the adventures to come. Happy flying!

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La La Land: Eggslut and Santa Monica

I AM BACK IN LOS ANGELES! It’s so surrel to be back after so many years. After a fairly easy 14 hour flight, a mandatory meal at In-n-Out, I was whisked away with my friend to Sunset Blvd for a drink at Akbar.The next morning we headed over to the Eggslut located at the Grand Central Market in Downtown. The place to be for the food fanatics looking for all the creative twists on juices, Thai food and even the simple bagel.

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I ordered their specialty “Slut” which was a coddled egg on top of a smooth potato purée, poached in a glass jar and served with a demi baguette.

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Seriously, spectacular. While my friend got their amazing Gaucho. Described as seared wagyu tri-tip steak, chimichurri, red onions and seasoned arugula topped with an over medium egg, in a warm brioche bun.

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After a quick walk around the block to burn off some of the calories we consumed. We decided to head over to Santa Monica for some good old California sun. Exploring through the pier and getting the natural exfoliantes of the warm sand, it was a pretty good day.

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